Determine whether era vocabulary in NIH award summaries is ceremonial

Determine whether the era vocabulary used in NIH award summaries is ceremonial rather than substantively connected to research practice.

Background

The paper distinguishes between population names, which may convey information about whom a study enrolls, and era-specific diversity, equity, and inclusion vocabulary, which may reflect the period in which an award was written rather than the study’s substantive aims. The authors’ analyses test whether population names are informative but do not resolve whether the era vocabulary itself is merely ceremonial.

References

The analysis tests whether the names are informative and leaves open whether the era vocabulary is ceremonial.

— Still funded, no longer counted: how NIH's 2025 award reviews changed what the government counts as minority health research  (2610.03443 - Xie et al., 2 Oct 2026) in Section 2.1, “A record edited while the funding continued”